Welcome to my blog

Hello. . .

The Newfangled Country Gardener is for anyone who has a garden, would like to have a garden, or who simply enjoys eating the garden-fresh way. I don't claim to be an expert; in this blog I'm simply sharing some of the experiences my husband and I have in preparing food that is home-grown.

About the author

Kay Wheeler Moore is the author of a new cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden, that features six generations of recipes that call for ingredients that are fresh from the garden. With home gardening surging in popularity as frugal people become more resourceful, this recipe collection and the stories that accompany it ideally will inspire others to cook the garden-fresh way and to preserve their own family food stories as well. The stories in this book center around the Three Red-Haired Miller Girls (Kay's mother and aunts) who grew up in Delta County, TX, with their own backyard garden so lavish that they felt as though they were royalty after their Mama wielded her kitchen magic on all that was homegrown. Introduced in Kay's previous book, Way Back in the Country, the lively Miller Girls again draw readers into their growing-up world, in which a stringent economic era--not unlike today's tight times--saw people turn to the earth to put food on the table for their loved ones. The rollicking yarns (all with recipes attached) have love, family, and faith as common denominators and show how food evocatively bonds us to our life experiences.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Glad recipe for Roasted Veggie Tacos with Avocado Cream caught my eye

If I weren’t writing a regular blog on cooking the country-fresh way, I totally wouldn’t have found myself trying this recipe for Roasted Veggie Tacos with Avocado Cream. I would have passed right by it. But I’m sure glad it caught my eye as a possible something to blog about. Hubby and I dined on these for dinner last night; they were superb.

A Kroger grocery flyer introduced this recipe to me. (More and more often I find these flyers to be great recipe sources.) Diced zucchini, mushrooms, red onions, corn, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and black beans—all tossed in seasoned oil—are roasted in a pan in the oven until the items are tender. This mixture, with feta cheese and fresh cilantro, is spread on a warmed flour tortilla. A delightful avocado cream sauce is the garnish.

When I say that the stuffing makes an abundant amount, I’ll borrow a term from my husband’s mother—“It makes thousands”, Grandmother used to say when she stirred up a goodly amount of something. The recipe on the flyer said the entrée served 6, but that would be six people having four or five tacos each. We had “thousands” of the stuffing left over for several more meals. I’m looking forward to it.

Roasted Veggie Tacos with Avocado Cream

3 small zucchini, diced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 medium red onions, diced

1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used 2 ears fresh corn)

3 medium red peppers, diced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 cans black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

4 1/2 teaspoons cumin

feta or goat cheese and freshly chopped cilantro, for topping

12-18 small corn or flour tortillas

Avocado cream:

2 large, ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and flesh removed

1 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine veggies, tomatoes, and black beans in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, salt, and cumin. Toss with veggie mixture to coat. Spread evenly in a large roasting pan (or two). Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through and browned (about 20 minutes total). Meanwhile in a serving bowl mash avocado, sour cream, and lime juice until smooth. Stir in salt and cilantro to taste. To serve, warm tortillas and fill with veggies and avocado cream; top with cheese and cilantro. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 6. (Source: Kroger My Magazine flyer)

Click the book cover above to open a PDF of "When the Heart Soars Free"

Previous Events for Way Back in the Country Garden

June 25, 2010 (Friday): Live interview on "Arizona Midday", Channel 12, KPNX, Phoenix. On live TV Kay will prepare a dish from Way Back in the Country Garden.

July 10, 2010 (Saturday): Booksigning for Way Back in the Country Garden at Prairie Rose Flowers & Gifts, 211 West Dallas, Cooper, TX , just across from the Delta County Courthouse. Kay will sign books from 10 a.m. to noon. Snacks prepared from recipes from the cookbook.

July 3, 2010 (Saturday): Booksigning for Way Back in the Country Garden at The Generator coffeehouse, 107 N. 6th Street, on the square in Historic Downtown Garland, TX. Kay will sign books from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cookies prepared from recipes from the cookbook.

About Me

Kay Wheeler Moore is a Pulitzer-Prize nominee who stirred up her heirloom cornbread from "Way Back in the Country" on live TV while she promoted preserving family history through recipes. Her other previous books are "When the Heart Soars Free", a book of Christian fiction, and "Gathering the Missing Pieces in an Adopted Life", based on her Houston Chronicle newspaper series.